


I Was Never Meant To Fight On My Own

by Morningstar_Winchester



Series: D A D V I D  A N D  G W E N M O M  H E A V E N [2]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: And I've got chapters laid out in advance for all of you so don't worry, And also the rivalry between Harrison and Max in this gives me life, Because angry Dadvid is to come, Damion - Freeform, Gen, I'm back baby, Idfk how it happened, Max and Nerris are my new OTP??, Maxris, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Oh, Other, SO, The asshole, Trust me Damion will regret every decision in his life eventually, Underage drinking/drug use (mentioned), Who wants angry Dadvid?, Will get exactly what is coming to him, and believe me, angry David, but yeah, dadvid, enjoy, gwenmom, gwenvid - Freeform, hi guys, like??, this will be finished
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-12
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 13:58:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15973745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morningstar_Winchester/pseuds/Morningstar_Winchester
Summary: This summer will definitely be one for Max to remember - David and Gwen at his side, his best friends along for the ride, and of course, Nerris the Cute. With all the turns in his life, Max is certain this will be the best summer he's had yet.Or at least, he was sure of it until he met the new counselor.





	1. There's Gotta Be Another Way Out

"Do you think it's edible yet?"

Max snickered a little to himself, lightly prodding the mashed potatoes in front of him with the fork and lowering his head a little to study the heaping pile. He'd never been all too fond of the camp food, but that being said, he never ate that much of it. A few bites at most, nothing more than he could take. While he'd been doing a lot better with eating recently (he'd only thrown up from over-eating a few times), he was still careful not to make himself sick, and eating too much made him feel like he would vomit instantly. That being said, he was willing to try a few bites of this food, but at the same time he wondered if David's cooking had softened him up to the soft, cushy life he'd never had, and if eating the shitty potatoes would make him vomit instantly. So, the eleven year old was… Torn.

"Ten bucks says it's worse than my mom's spaghetti," Nikki whispered, kicking Max's foot with her own. Max merely grinned in response, tipping his head to the side and still studying the food, as if he could pick apart every little molecule and decipher just what was put into the mashed potatoes so he could tell them for sure if it was edible or not. The boy clicked his tongue, twisting the fork a bit and flattening the potatoes a little as he did.

Neil seemed the least interested, seated on Max's other side. He had his head resting on the table, his food tray pushed up a bit and his head turned toward his friends, watching silently. Max occasionally let his eyes drift to the both of them. While it was painfully obvious he'd changed very much in his time away from camp, Nikki and Neil seemed pretty much the same. Which Max was glad for - It was nice to have some familiarity. As good as the new changes in his life were, he was only eleven, and he could only take so much. So this was pretty damn comforting. Of course, Max knew they'd never participate in evil schemes together, like trying to blow up the mess hall, or set the counselor's cabin on fire - That was definitely out, considering Max was going to be sleeping in there himself - Since Max had duties to fulfill as a "counselor in training" since he'd signed up for "camp counselor in training camp" (Though he had to clarify with David later, since he was still confused on whether he was a camper or a counselor in this situation), but it was nice to have the gang back together.

Gang. Max almost snorted at the thought. No, the trio weren't exactly a… Gang. Nikki and Neil could call it what they wanted - Max still needed to find an appropriate word. But "gang" didn't seem fitting. After all, he was  _in_ a gang - Much to David's chagrin, although Max knew that his father was glad to see he was passionate about something for once, and once Max had clarified that they didn't kill people or anything, David relaxed a bit - And Neil and Nikki just didn't cut it. The day those two did drugs of any sorts, or drank, or did any of the crap Max did with the gang, Max could officially say "fuck life" and curl up in bed until he died. Because he needed something to rely on here with all of this rocky uncertainty that had been brought up in his life the past few weeks, and he was fine with it being those two simple things.

One being Nikki's pure innocence. The conversation of drugs had come up once between the trio, and Nikki had obliviously referred to the shit her mom smoked as "weed drugs", causing Max to break down into a fit of hysterical laughs and Neil to just be completely confused.

The other being the fact that, while Neil was a great partner-in-crime to set off fireworks and roast ants with a magnifying glass with, the kid still had some pretty good morals. Max knew he detested drugs - The conversation from that day was still fresh in his mind, and Max had made a mental note to never introduce Kyle and Neil to each other, because his best friend would hate his nerd with every fiber of his being.

Not only this, but Neil didn't have what it took to be in a gang. He was just… Max wasn't sure how to describe him. He was an alright dude, Max enjoyed his company very much, but at the end of the day he wasn't gang material. Or, at least, he wasn't  _Tommy gang_ material. Nikki… Well, Nikki was like a girl version of Kyle, minus the innocence and total lack of understanding of how drugs worked at all. Maybe she would be a good addition to the gang, if she ever learned that "weed drugs" was… Not an appropriate term for the shit Max smoked on a daily basis away from camp.

" _Twelve_  bucks says Quartermaster's actually gotten better at cooking and they're actually decent now." Both Max and Nikki turned their heads to look at Neil, Max's eyebrows raised silently as he gave his friend a curious look. Neil stuck his tongue out and shrugged, lifting his head a little, only to rest it on his hands, elbows pressed firmly into the table. "Someone's gotta be on the guy's side. Or he'll poison all of us."

"Ohoho, let 'im try," Nikki's voice held a dangerously dark edge, one Max was fairly used to from her at this point. "If Danny boy couldn't keep this wolverine down, Captain Hook sure won't!" The boy laughed a little bit, his smirk widening ever so slightly as he rolled his eyes at his friend before looking around. His mint green eyes flickered across the mess hall, briefly throwing a smile in David's direction, which was returned with ease before his father turned back to talk to Jasper. Max continued to look around, eyebrows knitting together as he focused on Harrison and Nerris. They seemed to actually be getting along for once, which was weird. Harrison was sifting through a deck of cards and talking casually, while Nerris had a hand over her mouth, giggling.

Any other time, Max would have been amused. Or mesmerized. Even then, watching Nerris, he felt that familiar, fluttering feeling he'd had in his gut since he was, what, seven? His second year at camp, that's when the butterflies had started. He never did figure out what it was. Of course, his theory from a few weeks ago was pulled up somewhere in the back of his mind at that moment, but it was easily ignored. But that was only because the weird, fluttery feeling lasted only a second before those butterflies decided to shrivel up and die in his stomach, pressing down with a sickening weight. And his heart had decided to drop along with them. It was a weird feeling Max couldn't describe, but it took away the giddy feeling that had previously been warming the child, the feeling that had washed through him like a warm, gentle sunlight on an achingly cold day.

Well, the cold was back, and it felt like frostbite. His chest, his stomach. He was pretty sure his heart had frozen over, judging by the way it hurt. The warm feeling was completely gone.

Max had no fucking clue  _what_ he was feeling, but he most  _certainly_ didn't like it. He tore his gaze away from Nerris and  _Harrison_ \- He wanted to spit for some reason, just thinking the other boy's name. He'd never been a big fan of Harrison. Not after the stupid magician had literally made him vomit up handkerchiefs, a hook, a rabbit, and some other shit Max didn't care to identify. He had loosened that grudge a little, but right then it seemed like a logical reason, something to justify the burning anger that was suddenly twisting around in the kid's stomach. The kind of anger that made him want to get up and march over there and grab Nerris by the arm and drag her away to her stupid makeshift cardboard castle to play Dungeons and Dragons.

The kind of anger that made him want to lift his gaze to Harrison instead, so he could burn a hole in that dumb ass top hat of his instead of the mashed potatoes he was currently glaring at. Max grimaced faintly, grinding his teeth together slightly and still trying to find a good reason to justify why the hell he had gotten so angry. What had set him off, exactly? He hadn't had a problem with seeing Harrison when he was getting off the bus, and looking at Nerris usually filled him with a calm sense of peace (as well as those now-dead butterflies), but for some reason seeing the two of them together had just completely soured his mood.

And for a second, just a small second, one thought crossed his mind. One little thought. And Max, who had mastered the ability of shutting his brain off when it came to little thoughts like this, easy to overcome when he had more important things to be worrying about, managed to completely drop the thought to address at a later date. Instead, he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Neil and Nikki. "How about you two quit making  _bets_ and actually eat the damn  _food_?"

Ouch, that had… Come out a lot harsher than he'd intended it to be. The kid held back a wince, rooting his gaze to the tray and waiting to be called out for the anger. His fingers fiddled lightly with the fork, grimacing slightly as he turned the silverware over in the mashed potatoes. If he had even had an appetite for them before, it was gone now. He didn't want to eat. He was, however, pretty sure that he could find another use for the mashed potatoes. Maybe if he scooped enough up onto the fork and flung it at the right angle, he could knock that hat right off of Harrison's head. That would be… Extremely satisfying, actually. Just the thought of it eased some of the bubbling anger that had been building up.

His friends had stopped making bets and were now eating - But they were still chattering happily together, not seeming to have minded Max snapping at them. Max thought about apologizing, but he decided to just leave it as it was, despite being faintly confused over the fact that they hadn't said anything about the rudeness or something. He mulled that over for a few moments, his frown deepening slightly at the realization that he'd snapped at them several times before without any hesitation whatsoever. Ha, they were used to it by now, weren't they? It hardly fucking fazed them. Even if Max clearly wasn't acting like an asshole before, he could go back to being a dick at any given moment, and nobody would say anything because that's how he  _always had been_.

Max definitely wasn't hungry.

He did, however, consider turning the fork around and stabbing himself with it one good time, because at that moment the anger for Harrison - that would remain unplaced until he came up with a perfectly good excuse for it - was quickly replaced by rage for himself. A feeling he was familiar with, but not one he particularly enjoyed. The boy bit back a sigh and sat back a bit, pushing his food away and dropping the fork back onto the tray before he actually could do something he might regret later. Instead, he listened idly as Neil and Nikki chattered on, about Neil's dad and Nikki's mom and something about them moving in together. Max raised his eyebrows, tilting his head back and looking up at the ceiling. That was an interesting topic and he was definitely going to press for details at a time when he didn't want to stab a knife at anything that moved, as he did right then.

"I wonder if our mascot is still here," Nikki piped up, her voice muffled as she shoveled another forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. Max almost snorted, vaguely thinking either the food was good, or Nikki's taste buds were just dead. But, Neil was eating, too, and he didn't seem to be complaining. Still, Max wasn't hungry. He let his brain churn as the two continued to speak, his mind going to the platypus. He hadn't seen it since he'd shown up, but it didn't really matter all too much to him. The damn thing couldn't even be considered a mascot, it had tried to kill the campers on several occasions, and had made it obvious that it detested Max for all he was worth. Max didn't really care, he was never an animal fan, and honestly the thing kind of scared him if he was being completely honest.

"Hey wait, Max, are you ever gonna explain the Luke Skywalker-Darth Vader thing you and David got going on?!" Nikki's hands were suddenly clasped around Max's face, squishing his cheeks together. It would have been extremely painful if not for Max's high pain tolerance, but it was mildly annoying at best. Although, once his mint green gaze focused on those wide pink eyes of Nikki's, filled with the innocence Max honestly wished he had, the anger kind of evaporated. Yeah, he was still a little peeved for reasons he was not yet willing to clarify, but he wasn't as furious as he had been moments before. The eleven year old sighed, prying Nikki's hands away from his face.

"I don't understand that reference," Max stated, crossing his arms and leaning forward a little. He smiled faintly to himself, his mint green gaze flickering toward David for a brief moment before he turned back to his friends, shrugging slightly. Now came the difficult part. Explaining the events of the past few weeks to his friends. He was going to wait for Nerris, but she was busy with that  _fucking whore Harrison,_ and-

Okay, no, Max was not going to get angry about this again. He didn't have as much to explain to Nerris. Just recount the last few weeks. For Nikki and Neil, it would be a bit more difficult, because Max had just casually realized they didn't know anything about his family life at all. The boy sighed, puffing out his cheeks a bit as he mulled it over. Just give as little details as possible and answer whatever questions they had very vaguely. There, it was simple. "...Have I told you anything about my mother?" He eventually asked, first turning his gaze to Nikki, then Neil. Both shook their heads, and Max sighed. "Okay, well, first of all, camp man over there," he flicked his wrist toward David briefly, "my mom ended up taking me to see her brother, who turned out to be him."

"Soooooo David's your Uncle?" Nikki's pink eyes brightened as she took in that information, her head tilting innocently to the side.

"Not quite," Max chuckled, putting his head in his hands and resting his elbows on the table. "So, me and my mom ended up staying with him for a little while. Because my, uh.. "dad"'s an abusive prick." He didn't look at them, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Nikki's bouncing go still, and Neil's head raise slightly off the table. Max clicked his teeth together, moving on before they could question it. He really had to stop referring to Sarah and Ryan as his mom and dad, but it was the best way to describe the two without confusing Neil and Nikki right then. "And uh, basically it all boils down to the fact that I was adopted,"

"So David's  _not_ your Uncle,"

"Nope." Max smirked slightly, turning his gaze to David, who was now kneeling down next to Space Kid, talking quietly. The eleven year old smirked to himself, watching his father for a moment longer before lifting his gaze to the ceiling. He paused for a while, mostly for dramatic effect, before eventually dropping the bomb. "He's my dad. Like, birth dad." He flicked one finger up before the squealing from Nikki could start, pointing briefly in Gwen's direction. "And get this, camp man and Gwen had a thing way back when. Put two and two together, and…"

"HOLY CRAP GWEN AND DAVID ARE YOUR PARENTS!"

Max winced slightly, mostly because Nikki had been so loud about it. He decided to keep his gaze fixed on his friend as the heads turned, most kids looking confused, others looking shocked. He heard a soft few giggles from David, and a small snort from Gwen, but other than that, Nikki's yell had basically startled the mess hall into complete silence. "Yep," Max replied eventually, sliding out of his seat and brushing himself off. Anyone who knew Max knew he hated being the center of attention, and right then the eyes fixed on him were a little too overwhelming. So he decided to ignore them, briefly eyeing the door and wondering if he could just walk out. Did being a counselor in training give him that privilege?

Probably not. Granted, he still needed to have a talk with David on whether or not he was a camper or a counselor. Max sighed, rolling his head around to look toward Nerris and Harrison again. He honestly felt kind of pleased to see he had Nerris's attention, deciding to completely ignore Harrison. Which wasn't hard, considering the moment Max's mint green eyes met the sparkling blue ones, everything else was just kind of… blocked out. Unimportant. Nothing else mattered except the huge grin that was directed his way, and those warm, beautiful blue eyes that practically screamed  _congratulations_.

The butterflies were back, the anger was gone, and Max once more felt overwhelmingly giddy. He smiled back faintly, blinking slightly as his gaze focused on Nerris, staying trained on her for a moment longer. Honestly, he'd be content to just stand there and look at her for hours. But then that small part of his brain that liked to bring beautiful moments crashing down decided to remind him he had basically everyone in the mess hall focused on him on that moment, so he decided to tear his gaze away before it could get awkward.

Luckily, it wasn't too long until the other kids went back to their own business. Nerris eventually turned back to Harrison, but Max didn't really care. As long as that warmth in those blue eyes was all for him, Harrison could go and suck it. Because last Max checked, Nerris didn't give Harrison looks like that. The thought made the eleven year old a little more giddier than he had been before, almost allowing a few soft giggles to slip from his lips as he left the table to head over to David, briefly nudging his shoulder against Space Kid's as he passed.

"I'd say that went well."

"Indeed!" David reached out and ruffled Max's hair; Max simply smiled, shaking his head a bit and brushing his fingers through his hair when David retracted his hand, a halfhearted attempt to fix the curls which really couldn't be considered an attempt. Max just gave a content sigh, letting his gaze drift around for a moment. That giddy feeling probably wasn't going anywhere. Honestly, it could last a whole day when he got one of those beaming smiles. And while maybe a year ago he would have hid it easily with his snark and sarcasm, he didn't mind letting it show.

"So," David mumbled conversationally, his voice lowering a bit as he crouched down next to Max. "Iiiiii think that somebody might have a camp crush." At those words, Max blinked, his mint green gaze instantly snapping back to David. There was that word again, the word that Max had been trying extremely hard  _not_ to think about. If Max wasn't still overwhelmingly happy at that moment, he'd be annoyed that David had even suggested such a thing.

"What? Hell no. On who?" Max demanded, crossing his arms. David grinned but he didn't answer with a name. He didn't need to. His gaze flashed toward Max's favorite little geek in an instant, Max immediately following his gaze even though he knew who David was trying to point out, just wanting an excuse to look at her again. It probably didn't help his case at all when his smile widened just at the sight of her.  _Shit you got it bad Max._ Even his thoughts betrayed him.

"Aha,  _no_ ," Max cleared his throat, keeping his gaze fixed on Nerris for a moment longer before turning back to David, who now looked way too smug for Max's liking. The boy fixed his father with his firmest glare, pucking his lips slightly into the scowl he'd mastered so well. "No. Nerris isn't a crush. She's a friend. One of my best friends. You don't have crushes on your best friends. And even if I did have a crush on her, it doesn't matter because I'm only eleven and sure she's kind of pretty and all but no I do not have a crush on Ner because that would just be weird right it's  _weird_ ," he paused, taking in a gulp of air to satisfy his burning lungs, shoulders dropping slightly.

David's grin wasn't letting up. Max's scowl fell into just a small frown, kicking his feet against the floor and hunching his shoulders up a bit, eyes darting toward Nerris, who, luckily, was too far away to hear. "...Is it weird?"

"Nah, kiddo," David chuckled, clapping a hand down onto his shoulder. "It's actually kind of adorable. My boy's got a little crush," he squealed softly, tugging Max into a side-hug. Max sighed, but rather than push him away, he sank back into his arms, the safe feeling mixing with the earlier giddiness that finally made a few giggles break through his lips. "I'm so proud,"

"Shut up, David," Max sighed, letting his head fall onto David's shoulder. He hummed slightly, content for a moment as he turned his gaze to the ceiling before sweeping his gaze around. Gwen had left the mess hall. The eleven year old tipped his head to the side. "Where's Gwen?"

"Oh, she went to fill out some paperwork for the new counselor," David chirped, letting him go and ruffling Max's hair lightly. At the kid's confused look, David blinked once and cleared his throat. "Oh, did I forget to mention we're getting a new counselor…? Oopsie." He smiled nervously. Max just rolled his eyes.

"If this one's a fucking cultist, do I have permission to stab?"

"Um- Haha, no," David coughed, shaking his head at Max. The kid pretended to pout, although a playful smirk tugged at his lips. A new counselor, huh? Well, that was actually good. Someone to torture. Gwen and David were out of the question, Max was not going to mess with Jasper since he was licensed to carry a gun,  _and_ he was a police officer and Max was still wary with those guys, but a new counselor? Well, that was fair game. "Anyway, no, he's not a cultist, he's actually kind of nice and I think you'd like him and he'll be arriving in two days!"

"Great," Max hummed, stretching a little. Two days. He could last two days. He'd have to satisfy himself by picking on Nurf or something.  _Orrrrrr…_ The kid's mint green gaze flashed to Harrison, a smirk settling on his lips for a moment.  _Ah, Harrison, you poor fool. You have just unknowingly become the target of torture._ The kid thought, lightly bumping his father's foot with his own and turning away. "I'ma go give Gwen a proper hello," he paused, tossing his head back and casting David a teasing smile. "I can't believe the only time you let my mother see me is during the summer when you bring me to the camp you both work at."

"Max, you know that's not true," David protested, crossing his arms and giving Max a just as playful smile as his head cocked to the side. "We had dinner at her place last night. She took you to see Alvin and the Chipmunks at the movies Saturday. You see her at least every day, child."

Max giggled a little despite himself, that warm, happy feeling returning as he gave a one-shouldered shrug, pretty much skipping away from his father (though he didn't really skip, that was just taking "childish" to a whole new level Max hadn't reached yet) and heading to the door. "Faaaaaaaaair enough," he hummed, flipping his father off just for good measure as he ducked out of the cabin with a laugh, ignoring the indignant squeak from David. The kid just grinned and dusted himself off silently before heading toward the counselor's cabin, his grin settling into a peaceful little smile.

_I wonder if Gwen would let me borrow her lighter to set Harrison's tent on fire. God, I fucking hate that magical little prick._

Max was still thinking of the reason. He'd come up with a good excuse eventually. For now he was happy just hating him to hate him.


	2. I've Been Stuck In A Cage With My Doubt

Max grinned as he poked his head into the counselor's cabin, his mint green eyes brightening mischievously. He wasn't an idiot; He'd seen the lights from the TV flashing before he'd opened the door, heard the familiar voices of some people on a show that Gwen liked. The boy giggled to himself, silently slipping inside and shutting the door behind him just in case and heading inside completely, his mint green eyes darting around until his gaze rested on Gwen, who was sitting back comfortably in a chair and staring at the TV placed in front of her with wide eyes. Max snorted a bit, already heading over to see exactly what had his mother so hypnotized. "Paperwork, my ass!"

Gwen actually shrieked, which was amusing in itself, fumbling to turn the TV off. Max didn't really get a good look at the characters before the screen shut off, going pitch black, but he didn't really mind. The eleven year old grinned, turning his gaze back to Gwen and giving her an innocent, beaming smile - Something he'd mastered already, thank you, David - And cocking his head to the side sweetly. Gwen just took a deep breath, sitting back in the chair and giving him a faintly annoyed look. "David does not need to hear about this, Satan,"

"Of course not," Max stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, humming slightly as he moved forward to climb up onto her lap. Gwen wasn't as affectionate as David. Now, that wasn't to say she wasn't affectionate - Honestly,  _nobody_ could match David's level of affection, the man fucking loved cuddles - But Gwen had her sweet moments, too. And that safe feeling that was popping up again and again with David was easily appearing around Gwen, too. Like now, as Gwen's arms wrapped safely around him and a soft kiss planted on the kid's forehead, that warm, safe feeling washed over him, allowing him to comfortably sink down into his mother's arms and wrap his arms around her, snuggling his head against her shoulder with a soft hum. "Hi,"

"Hello, my sweet boy," Gwen whispered, making Max chuckle softly as she pressed the side of her face into his hair. Honestly, he was content to just sit there with her. It honestly surprised him how easy it was to be affectionate. But he kind of  _was_ like a kicked puppy, in a sense. In the sense that once the puppy stopped getting kicked and started getting petted, all they wanted was the affection. And honestly, it was all Max wanted. Knowing what it felt like, he just…  _Needed_ it, now. He'd tried to hard not to accept it before, because he'd known he would need it if he got used to it. And he'd been terrified that once it went away, he'd be left even more broken than he was.

But this… This wasn't going away. Not for a long, long time. He'd finally found people willing to give him the affection he wanted, the affection he  _needed_ \- There was  _nothing_ more a little boy could ask for, was there? Max smiled, burying his face against his mother's neck and letting out a soft, content sigh. "Do you like your job?" He asked suddenly, obvious curiosity ringing through his voice as he turned his head a bit to look up at her. Gwen tilted her head, gazing back down at him with just as much curiosity, probably surprised by the question. Honestly, Max was only asking because he and Gwen were still a lot alike. He liked to think that he was starting to see the world in a more positive light, like David, recently, but he still had that usual dry humor that he and Gwen had in common. He wanted to know what he would have to look forward to, if he'd end up hating it.

"It's not so bad," Gwen finally admitted, running her fingers through Max's hair. A few weeks ago, Max would've swatted her hands away; Now he relaxed into her, smiling slightly as he rested his head back against her shoulder. "I mean, my job is kind of what brought you back to me, isn't it?" She asked lightly, resting her head against Max's. "I guess it's hard to deal with annoying kids. And all the campers-" Max snorted lightly, a small giggle escaping. "-But I think I've realized by now that I'm kind of lost without this stupid camp."

"Mm, me too," Max agreed, another chuckle escaping his lips as he snuggled against his mother. He heard her laugh in response, prompting a few more giggles from the eleven year old as he buried his face into her shoulder, giving a content little hum. "Camp Campbell corrupts you, man," he mumbled after a moment, putting just enough bewilderment into his tone to make Gwen start laughing. Max grinned, closing his eyes for a moment and letting the moment sink in, not wanting to move, but knowing they'd both have to eventually. "I wanna kill Harrison."

"Psh, why?" Gwen sounded both curious and amused - It made Max snicker. Because honestly, it was exactly what he'd expect from Gwen. Genuine amusement over the fact that Max wanted to kill someone. Then again, what else would he expect from his mother, surprise? Horror? Nah, Gwen was chill.

"I don't know," Max admitted, blinking his eyes open and staring past her, over her shoulder to fix his gaze on the wall. His mouth twisted a bit, his fingers loosely twirling into Gwen's shirt and his smile melting into a frown. The anger from earlier was coming back slightly, remembering how pissed off he'd been at seeing Harrison and Nerris together like that. No, he  _knew_ why it pissed him off, and he  _knew_ why he wanted to murder the fucking magic kid, he just really, really didn't want to admit it to himself. Because then it'd be real. Then his crush on Nerris would be a  _real_ thing that he would eventually have to face, and he didn't know how to face it, because he'd never had a crush on anybody before. So, long story short, the eleven year old was fucking terrified of his own feelings right then, and there was absolutely no way in hell he'd be admitting it anytime soon. "I kinda just do. Can I set his tent on fire, or is that something that counselors aren't allowed to do?"

"That'd be a lot of paperwork," Gwen sighed with a mock-exasperated tone, making Max smirk slightly through his anger and confusion. "Hmm… I don't know about a fire, but considering you are still  _technically_ a camper-" Thank god, that question was answered. "-You could probably get away with putting fire ants in his bed, or pushing him into the lake," Gwen continued sweetly. "Buuuut you didn't hear that from me, got that, you little shit?"

"Yesssssssss ma'am," Max giggled dutifully, easily reaching up to peck his mother lightly on the cheek before gently wriggling out of her grasp. He'd basically left her stunned from that - Any kind of real affection from him left both David and Gwen stunned, and it was perfectly amusing to the eleven year old. "I won't tell a soul. Now, we should probably go back to the mess hall and make sure David and Jasper aren't being overrun by all the crazy children that we left them with," he smirked, throwing a pointed glance toward his mother, who surrendered reluctantly and stood, stretching.

"Alright, alright," Gwen sighed, crouching down to return the kiss and pressing her lips gently to Max's forehead once more, pulling him into a tight hug before letting him go. Max merely giggled, smiling slightly and brushing himself off as she pulled away. "So, did David tell you about the new counselor?"

Ah, yes, mystery man. "Eh, he told me  _some_ stuff, but he didn't tell me who he was and all or whether or not he's a batshit crazy cultist," Max answered sweetly, grinning faintly as Gwen laughed. But when his mother opened her mouth to explain who the new guy was, Max shook his head and quickly cut her off. "Nah, don't sweat it, Ma. I'd rather be surprised anyway," he told her cheekily before turning and pulling the door open. Though he didn't even get to take a step out the cabin before he was being scooped up, a soft squeal of surprise escaping his lips as he quickly latched on to Gwen.

David was predictable. Gwen was full of surprises.

The yells of the kids that were now outside easily told Max that David and Jasper had rounded them out to the activities field. Gwen must have realized it, too, because she changed direction quickly. Max hummed lightly, leaning back into Gwen's arms and letting out a soft, content sigh as his eyes slid shut for a few moments. Because soon, it was probably going to be chaos that Max wasn't in on, and he was going to enjoy the few seconds of peace he got in the time it took Gwen to carry him to the activities field. Honestly, the eleven year old was still a little fuzzy on the reason as to  _why_ he was being carried, but he wasn't really complaining.

"Hello, Gwen, hello, Max!" David exclaimed cheerfully as soon as he saw the two, skipping over to them. Max stuck his tongue out at his father, resisting the urge to say  _duuuuuude you're so gay_ and instead ducking his head down a bit when David reached out to ruffle his hair. Granted, he didn't get very far, and the curls were inevitably messed up, but he'd tried. The boy giggled a bit as David's arms wrapped around both him and Gwen, letting his head fall back onto David's shoulder with a soft hum. "Gwen, did you get that paperwork done?"

"Almost," Gwen coughed, winking toward Max, who gave a grin in response as Gwen pulled away and set him down, gently ruffling the kid's hair. Max glanced up at his parents for a moment, a soft smile appearing on his face as the two continued to talk. The eleven year old grinned, lightly biting down on his lower lip as he turned to sweep his gaze around. Neil and Nikki were sitting together, and from the looks of it, they were trying to identify some pawprint. Max debated going to join them, but he wanted to find Nerris and give her all the details first. So he continued to let his gaze flick around, idly passing over the other kids. That is, until his gaze fixed on Harrison, who was now by himself. The older boy was reaching into his top had, like he was looking for something inside.

Max was moving before his brain was. Sometimes, he really fucking hated how "spur-of-the-moment" he was. But then again, at that particular moment, he didn't really care. Something in him was screaming to  _defend_. He didn't know  _why_ , but he didn't question it. He didn't question the anger now twisting in his stomach, the burning feeling in his chest. Harrison's yellow eyes flickered up as Max approached, and honestly the genuine smile he got would have been warming if Max wasn't thinking of Harrison and Nerris. Together. Doing whatever the fuck they were doing, talking about whatever the fuck they were talking about.

Max's mouth moved before his brain did, too. "Since when were you and Nerris all buddy buddy?"

"Nerris?" Harrison had the nerve to sound completely confused - Hell, he looked completely confused. Max didn't care. He stopped directly in front of the taller kid, not really caring that he had to tilt his head back a bit just to glare up at him. "Oh, well, I guess we're not really, ah, buddy-buddy  _yet_ , but…"

"Yet?" Max's teeth snapped together, grinding against each other faintly. He really, really fucking wanted to start yelling at that moment, and he had absolutely no idea why.  _Yet?_ That meant Harrison was planning on spending  _more_ time with Nerris, which did  _not_ settle well with the eleven year old at all. And he didn't… Okay. He  _knew_ why, he just didn't want to fucking  _admit_ why. But the point was, he didn't like the idea of Nerris and Harrison hanging out. He completely detested that thought with everything he had.

"Why do you care anyway? You hate Nerris," Harrison pointed out obliviously, snapping Max from his thoughts. For the longest time, Max just stared at him, dumbfounded. Hate. Nerris? How could  _anybody_ in their right  _mind_ ever hate  _Nerris?_ She was amazing. Her geekiness was completely adorable. Her smile could light up a room. Her laugh, it just made you want to laugh along. Just looking at her once was enough to make  _anybody_ giddy. Right? It couldn't be just  _him_ that felt that way. "...Don't you?"

"No," Max snapped, turning his head slightly. His gaze fell on the makeshift cardboard castle, just barely seeing the hat Nerris was wearing poking up from the top. A small smile twitched at his lips, but it disappeared the moment he turned back to Harrison, his eyes hardening as he considered the boy in front of him. The boy in front of him, who had turned to look as well, but Max quickly got his attention back by snapping his fingers in front of Harrison's face. "Look, magic kid. Just leave Nerris alone and go back to hating her or some shit. I don't care what you do, as long as it's not within a twenty-fucking-mile radius of her, got it?"

Harrison blinked at him, looking completely bewildered in a way that made Max certain he would love absolutely nothing more than driving a stick through his skull. "Why not? I like her."

Shit, that feeling was back. Max took in a deep, unsteady breath and turned his head back. Nerris was now poking her head up over the top of the castle and looking out at the other kids, pushing her glasses up her nose as her bright blue eyes drifted around. The tension relaxed a little as he watched her, somewhat able to ignore the painful, burning feeling inside and instead focus on those butterflies. Because as weird as the butterflies felt, it was a hell of a lot better than the seething rage that made him feel like he could punch Harrison at any given moment, which he would probably get in trouble for, and nobody wanted that. "Because, she's-" He cut off, biting down on his lip. "She's…"

"Absolutely perfect," Harrison sighed from beside him, his head now turned away from Max. The eleven year old hummed gently in agreement - That was exactly how Max would describe Nerris. Absolutely perfect, in every way. And she didn't even try. That's just how s-  _HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE._

" _What_?" Max whirled his head around to face Harrison, who's gaze snapped away from Nerris instantly to turn back to him, wide-eyed with confusion. Max, however, was sure his expression showed off the pure rage he was feeling right then. It didn't take a fucking genius to know Harrison had a  _thing_ for Nerris, but he'd never assumed that Harrison would ever be so fucking open about it. And if he was open about it, did that mean he was going to  _try something_? " _Back_ the fuck up, you motherfucking  _manwhore-_ "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Harrison held his hands up, taking a few steps back, which was wise. Because at that moment, Max really did feel like he could punch the other boy right then, but for Harrison's sake, he refrained. "Don- Don't get so mad, Max, I was just saying that she's-"

"I fucking heard you the first time, Harrison," Max snapped back, grinding his teeth together and fixing Harrison with his deadliest death glare. Now this wasn't even about his- His… Ah, whatever the fuck, for Nerris, this was about  _Harrison_ having a fucking  _thing_ for Nerris, as if that wasn't obvious. But what was  _painfully_ obvious was that- "You're not right for her."

Sometimes he really hated that he spoke before he thought.

This wasn't one of those times.

Harrison blinked, face falling slightly. And so did his hands, back down to his sides before he stuffed them in his pocket, tilting his head to the side with a frown. "I- I'm sorry?" He mumbled slowly, eyebrows pinching together.

"You're. Not. Right for her," Max giggled for some reason as he spoke, but even he could hear the fury underlying those simple words. "Because she- That girl-" He paused, his mint green eyes flashing to the makeshift castle and his voice lowering instinctively just to ensure nobody else around them could hear. "That girl is- She's… She's fucking…  _Everything_ , man."

"I know this,." Harrison replied obliviously. Max gritted his teeth slightly and turned back to him, his narrowed eyes meeting Harrison's completely bewildered gaze.

"She's  _everything_. And she's  _great_ and  _amazing_ and  _beautiful_ and  _smart_  and  _funny_ ," Max's voice was getting lower, turning to more of a growl. He didn't even stop when he saw Harrison's expression change, realizing it as Max continued. Even though that kind of annoyed him. He didn't want Harrison of all people realizing it before Max had time to even think about what he was feeling. "And  _nobody_ will ever deserve someone like  _her_. Definitely not  _me_ , but most  _certainly_ not  _you_ , either. So  _no_." Before he had the time to stop himself, he grabbed Harrison by the front of his shirt and yanked him forward. Maybe a little too violently.

At least he wasn't hitting the guy, though.

" _You_ are not  _right_ for  _her_.  _Nobody_ will  _ever_ be  _right_ for  _her_. So quit fantasizing about the two of you. You want a fucking  _magic trick_ , Harrison? Here's a little suggestion for you," Max gritted his teeth and pushed the taller boy back a bit. Harrison winced a little as he stumbled back, but luckily kept his balance. "You make those fantasies  _disappear_. That  _is_ your best  _trick_ , after all."

Harrison now, in all honesty, looked just a little pissed. But Max didn't care. Max had made his point. And Max had to get the fuck out of there before he exploded with all the rage he could still feel bubbling around inside. He had meant every word. Nobody was good enough for Nerris. Most certainly not  _him_. And  _definitely_ not Harrison. She was too perfect for anybody. Nobody  _deserved_ her. This wasn't about Max's crush anymore. Well, okay, maybe that did play into it a little bit, but it wasn't the thing Max was really concerned about anymore. He just wanted to make sure Harrison knew where he stood. He didn't have a chance in hell with Nerris, did he? Of course not.

"Have a good fucking day, mind-freaker." Max spun around and stormed off, silently pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. He didn't even realize he was heading to Nerris's makeshift castle until he'd actually reached it. And for the longest time, he just tipped his head back and stared up for a moment. He had wanted to talk to her anyway, but he didn't want to worry her, and he wasn't exactly sure he could hide the anger so well. The boy considered for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Nerris?"

"Don't you mean," Max tilted his head back even more to look up, eyebrows raising. Nerris was peering down at him, leaning forward over the edge of the castle and sticking her tongue out at him, bright blue eyes sparkling. "Nerris the Cute?"

And of course, if anybody could make such boiling rage disappear in a matter of seconds, it was Nerris. The boy exhaled softly as the anger ebbed away, his lips tugging up into the smallest of smiles. After a moment of consideration, he gave a small, playful bow. "Ah, yes, my lady, Nerris the Cute! May I request entrance to your fine castle?"

The giggle he got in response was  _so_ fucking worth the looks from the other kids. "Of course you may enter!" With that, Nerris ducked back inside to wait. Max grinned, lightly tugging the door open with his foot and heading up the stairs, a little wary for a few seconds because he still wasn't entirely sure if this castle was all that safe, but he relaxed once he reached the top of the stairs, giving Nerris a warm smile as he settled down on the floor. "Been a while since you came up here!" Nerris grinned, skipping over and falling back beside him. "What were you and Harrison fighting about?"

Max glanced down at her, pausing for a moment. Nerris's eyes were bright and shining with pure curiosity - Max couldn't even get mad at the reminder of Harrison, just gazing down at her had those butterflies back, the weird warmth in his chest that he still couldn't describe. "Everything," he murmured honestly, looking away and tilting his head back to look up at the sky. "Don't worry about it, Ner,"

"Psshh, if you say so," Nerris replied easily, another soft giggle escaping her lips. Max smiled softly to himself, letting his eyes slip shut for a few moments. "So, care to explain the whole Gwen-and-David-being-your-parents thing now?" Nerris asked teasingly, poking Max in the side. The boy squeaked a little, scooting away and blinking his eyes open, turning his head to stick his tongue out at her with a smile.

"Well, that would be the nice thing to do, and if you're sooooo curious," Max smirked, leaning forward a bit and crossing his arms. "So you know already that my dad is an asshole."

"It's kind of mean to call David an asshole," Nerris wiggled her eyebrows at him, giving an adorable little smile. Max giggled a bit, tearing his gaze away before he could get lost in those blue eyes any more than he already had.

"Okay. So you know  _Ryan_ is an asshole," his gaze darted to Nerris, who gave a confirming nod, smile slipping from her face and turning into a serious expression. "Well, remember what you told me when we were younger? You know, about the tape recorders thing, to gather evidence and all that?"

Nerris's expression lit up instantly; It, once more, made Max feel like the inside of his chest was melting and pooling to the bottom of his stomach, butterflies twisting and churning in a way that was almost painful, but pleasurable at the same time. "I remember! Did you finally..."

"Well, I told David," Max sat back, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a small smile. "Sarah and I had went over to his place, because apparently they're siblings. So, I guess she told him everything that was going on, and we ended up staying with him for a while. I ended up telling him about the tape recorders, and he got Jasper to check it out, s-" He cut off in surprise when Nerris suddenly launched forward and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tightly. The boy inhaled sharply, that warm feeling returning. Only now, the warm feeling made him feel like his cheeks and ears were on fucking  _fire_ somehow.

"That's so amazing, Max!" Nerris squeaked, pulling back a little and giving him a bright smile. Max managed to smile back in response, taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the burning feeling for now. He could worry about that later. He had a lot of time to worry about that, because he was probably now going to be laying in his bed all night, wide awake and thinking about  _everything_ that had happened today, because for fuck's sake, a lot of shit was happening. "Continue," Nerris added with a giggle, pulling back completely and folding her hands in her lap.

"Heh..." Max coughed, turning his gaze to the sky and taking a deep breath. "Okay, well, uh, basically Jasper found some paperwork saying I was adopted, and when he ended up looking deeper into it, he found out David and Gwen were my biological parents. And after that, I dunno, things kind of just clicked into place." He smiled slightly, turning back to look at Nerris. "So, Ryan and Alex are in jail, and-"

"And you finally got a good life!" Nerris kicked his foot with her own; Max didn't feel it, he just gazed at her. The smile on her face was almost bright enough to be blinding, but Max couldn't look away. "I'm so happy for you, Maxy!"

Another hug, this one Max was expecting, so he could easily wrap his arms around her and hug her back without hesitation. The two stayed like that for a moment, Max resting his head on Nerris's and Nerris burying her face into Max's chest. Max would have been okay with staying like this forever, but life unfortunately didn't work that way and Nerris finally pulled back with not much resistance from Max, who offered her a slightly cheeky grin. "I'm kinda happy too, Nerris." He admitted.

"Good, you deserve to be," Nerris stuck her tongue out at him before turning away, picking something up off the ground and turning back to Max, holding her hand out. But her fist was closed around whatever the fuck she had. Max reluctantly tore his gaze away from her face to look down at her hand, curiosity raging. "Dungeons and Dragons or Chutes and Ladders?"

"Dungeons and Dragons," Max replied, giving her an amused look. Was that even a question? In all honesty, Max did kind of prefer Chutes and Ladders, but he knew how much Nerris loved DnD. And honestly, he'd do literally anything to keep that smile on her face. Nerris squealed happily and tossed the dice to him; Max caught them quickly before they could soar over his head, watching with a laugh as Nerris turned to retrieve the board game.

Nobody would ever deserve her. And Max knew he most certainly didn't. But she was happy, it didn't take much to see that. They wouldn't ever be more than friends. Max was going to keep it this way. Because nobody was good enough to cross that line.

But Max didn't care. He still got those bright, warming, butterfly-inducing smiles, and Nerris was happy, so it was all good.


End file.
